Dick Olver

Richard L. Olver, known as Dick Olver, succeeded Dick Evans as Chairman of UK defence manufacturer BAE Systems on 1 July 2004. Olver was previously the Deputy Group Chief Executive of BP, having originally joined the American arm of the oil/gas company in 1973.

He was made Chief of Staff to the Chairman of BP and Head of Corporate Strategy for the BP Group in May 1990. In April 1992 he became Chief Executive, BP Exploration, USA. In 1995 he became Deputy Chief Executive of BP Exploration.

He was appointed to the Board of BP and became CEO of Exploration and Production on 1 January 1998. He was subsequently appointed Deputy Group Chief Executive of BP plc on 9 January 2003, stepping down from that position on assuming the BAE Systems' chairmanship.

Dick Olver was born in 1947 and is married with two daughters.